Assist grip attachment structure

Abstract

An assist grip attachment structure in which an assist grip is attached to a vehicle body-side attachment portion, the assist grip is supported with prescribed rigidity by the vehicle body-side attachment portion when a tensile load in a direction in which the assist grip is pulled toward an inside of a vehicle cabin is applied to the assist grip, and an impact of a pressing load is absorbed through deformation of the vehicle body-side attachment portion when the pressing load is applied to the assist grip from the inside of the vehicle cabin.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An assist grip attachment structure in which an assist grip is attached to a vehicle body-side attachment portion, the assist grip is supported with prescribed rigidity by the vehicle body-side attachment portion when a tensile load in a direction in which the assist grip is pulled toward an inside of a vehicle cabin is applied to the assist grip, and an impact of a pressing load is absorbed through deformation of the vehicle body-side attachment portion when the pressing load is applied to the assist grip from the inside of the vehicle cabin, the assist grip attachment structure comprising:
 a low-rigidity portion provided in the vehicle body-side attachment portion; 
 a high-rigidity portion provided in the vehicle body-side attachment portion and having rigidity higher than rigidity of the low-rigidity portion; 
 a pressing-side engagement portion that is fixedly fitted to the assist grip, that is engaged with the low-rigidity portion, and that presses and deforms the low-rigidity portion from the inside of the vehicle cabin when the pressing load is applied to the assist grip; and 
 a tension-side engagement portion that is fixedly fitted to the assist grip, and that is engaged with the high-rigidity portion from a side opposite to the inside of the vehicle cabin when the tensile load is applied to the assist grip, 
 the vehicle body-side attachment portion having an attachment plate portion having an engagement hole in which an attachment end portion of the assist grip is inserted from the inside of the vehicle cabin and is engaged, and the attachment plate portion further having 
 cuts formed in the attachment plate portion, the cuts being located in a vicinity of a periphery of the engagement hole and surrounding the periphery of the engagement hole, a portion located inward of the cuts being used as the low-rigidity portion, and a portion located outward of the cuts being used as the high-rigidity portion. 
 
     
     
       2. The assist grip attachment structure according to  claim 1 , further comprising a clip that has a hat-shaped section, the clip including a protruded portion and a pair of flange portions that are located on opposite sides of the protruded portion, the attachment end portion of the assist grip being fixedly fitted to an inner side of the protruded portion, wherein
 the protruded portion of the clip is inserted into the engagement hole from the inside of the vehicle cabin, and the pair of flange portions of the clip is engaged with the low -rigidity portion from the inside of the vehicle cabin, the pair of flange portions serving as the pressing-side engagement portion, 
 in a pair of sidewalls of the protruded portion of the clip, a pair of engagement lugs is formed in such a manner that sides of the engagement lugs, which are close to the flange portions, are cut and raised so as to protrude outward from the protruded portion, when the protruded portion is inserted into the engagement hole from the inside of the vehicle cabin, the engagement lugs are elastically deformed inward, so that the protruded portion is allowed to pass through the engagement hole and the engagement lugs are engaged with the high-rigidity portion from the side opposite to the inside of the vehicle cabin, the pair of engagement lugs serving as the tension-side engagement portion, and 
 the clip is assembled to the attachment plate portion in such a manner that an inner peripheral edge portion around the engagement hole in the attachment plate portion is located between the pair of flange portions and the pair of engagement lugs. 
 
     
     
       3. The assist grip attachment structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle body-side attachment portion is to be jointed to a body of a vehicle. 
     
     
       4. The assist grip attachment structure according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the vehicle body-side attachment portion is to be jointed at a jointed portion thereof to the body of the vehicle, and 
 wherein the low-rigidity portion is located closer to the periphery of the engaging hole than the high-rigidity portion, and the high-rigidity portion is located closer to the jointed portion than the low-rigidity portion.